Newark and Sherwood District Council joins celebrations for Love Parks Week

The national campaign, run by Keep Britain Tidy, is taking place from 28 July to 6 August, bringing together local authorities, green space managers, landowners, residents and community organisations to celebrate and support our fantastic green spaces all across the country.

From our award-winning parks and meadow areas to local community gardens and outdoor play-areas, the district is home to a variety of fantastic outdoor spaces for everyone to enjoy, explore and discover.

The campaign follows the recent announcement that five local parks have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award. Newark Castle Gardens, Sconce and Devon Park, Vicar Water Country Park and Sherwood Heath Cockglode and Rotary Woods, received the award once again, which is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

A fifth green space, the new community garden in Newark, was also added to the list of award winners in the district and, following Government approval, the green space was named the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Garden, in honour of the country’s longest reigning Monarch.

Results from the latest resident survey showed residents placing more importance on local parks and green spaces during recent times, and this announcement is a fantastic example of the works the District Council is doing to create a greener district and enhance Newark and Sherwood’s natural environment in order to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents.

£350,000 has been committed by the District Council to improve and develop ten local play parks, with plans to replace aging equipment for new, imaginative pieces of play equipment and include inclusive equipment for all ability users where possible to do so. These plans include both a new Castle-themed play area park and a fantastic new Fitness Zone for visitors to use at the already popular Sconce and Devon Park.

Works to improve the access at both Sconce and Devon Park and Sherwood Heath was recently undertaken with footpath works being made to improve park users’ experience as they enjoy the space, creating paved routes through areas which experience heavy footfall. The development of the pathways has also improved the accessibility of the park by linking up existing paved routes, allowing wheelchair and mobility scooters to access areas of the park, which until now had been inaccessible.

Councillor Emma Oldham, Portfolio Holder for Biodiversity and Environmental Services at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “We are so lucky to be home to such a variety of beautiful parks and gardens bursting with biodiversity and wildlife, and a space for everyone to enjoy whether it be for play, exercise or relaxation and socialising!

“A lot of hard work goes into maintaining and protecting these vital spaces, by the District Council teams, Park Rangers, volunteers, and residents. I think this week is a great opportunity to take a moment and appreciate the beautiful outdoor spaces we have and recognise the work of all those who are involved in keeping them as somewhere to be enjoyed.”

Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “The Love Parks campaign would not be possible without the backing of our local authority partners, including Newark and Sherwood park managers and landowners.

“This week is an opportunity for everyone to recognise the value of our parks and greenspaces for communities, health and wellbeing, and to encourage groups within our communities that may not think of parks as a space for them to visit.”

This year’s campaign is made possible thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Find out more about the district’s parks and green spaces: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/parksandgardens/